BBC man tells Mikel Arteta that only Martin Odegaard is to be trusted.
Arsenal has one thing to do now that they have secured a place in next season’s Champions League: win their remaining fixtures and secure their first Premier League title in years.
To finish the job, one thing must happen: every Gunner must raise their game. Notably, according to the BBC’s Garth Crooks, just one Gunner is performing at his best, and Arteta can’t expect 100% from him. He cites Arsenal captain Odegaard as the player on whom Arteta can rely, probably suggesting other Gunners need to step up their game.
“It’s just as well Arsenal have Martin Odegaard in their ranks. The Norway international possesses great leadership skills and a cool head to match. His calm and calculated one-two on the edge of the box with Ben White prior to his superb finish said loud and clear that Odegaard is one man Arsenal can certainly count on in the final stages of the season. I’m not entirely sure about the rest,” said Crooks in his BBC Sport‘s team of the week segment.
True leaders are formed in times of difficulty, and Odegaard’s willingness to give his all even when Arsenal haven’t been at their best, drawing their last three games, demonstrates how wise Arteta was to give him the armband. If Arsenal win their remaining games and win the league, Odegaard will have played a significant role, not only because of his 12 goals and 7 assists in 31 games but also because of his ability to orchestrate an aggressive play out of nowhere, always delivering something anytime he has the ball on his feet.
Anyway, forget for a moment about Crooks’ claims; tell us who the other gunner is on whom Arteta may count to help him win the remaining matchups.
Maybe Martinelli has been even better?
Darren N
Arteta proud of our comeback after Arsenal 3-3 Southampton
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The ones who excel in one-on-one situations, such as Martinelli, Saka, Partey, Jesus, White and Magalhaes
Odegaard has great vision, works hard and is an excellent playmaker, but he isn’t good at getting past players and in duels
If Saliba was fit, I expect him to step up too
OT: Admin the instant videos block the article content and at times the exit button is not available. Is it a must we have it on all the time, it makes reading articles difficult at times.
Lets not react to Crooks rather silly comment by playing this “who else is any good” sort of game. I certainly won’t, as I am immensely proud of ALL of our squad who have played any part at all in this wonderful season, no matter what happens from now til the end.
So lazy minded and so easy to blithely forget ALL the many positives, simply in order to be lured into attacking any perceived ” negatives”!
Don’t fall into this bogus trap!
Gabriel does not excel in one on one situations unless the ball is in the air.Indeed he is extremely vulnerable when he is isolated and faced with a decent opponent.Tierney has proved he can cope at International level on numerous occasions yet he does not tick the box for our Manager who continues to play a system which is leaking goals against teams at the lower end of the League.If he persists with this set up against City, we will be well beaten.
Agree Grandad that’s my biggest concern against City. We saw Liverpool target that left side relentlessly all game, and got a goal from Salah and assist from TAA.
Zinchenko is a poor defender and Pep knows too much about Zinchenko and can scheme to expose his weaknesses.
Our players have to rebound and be focused and hungrier than City for this match.
I think a win is the first nail in the coffin for the loser.
To beat Man city, Arsenal needs to field maure players in the middle who have experience and won’t be intimidated by City. I prefer Xhaka, Partey and Jorghino in the middle of the pack. Then they will win city. It’s no doubt that City intimidates many teams.